New species of monkey with orange lips. A primate with black fur and striking pink-orange lips, inhabiting the dense rainforest of the Lomami National Park, in the central-eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has been officially confirmed as a new species.
The discovery process
The discovery of this animal, which lives hidden in the high treetops, required years of tracking:
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2008: Local conservationists reported the first sighting, although they only obtained a blurry photograph.
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2018: After a second sighting ten years later, an international team began a formal investigation.
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Present: Studies confirmed that it is a previously unknown species, becoming the fifth species of African monkey discovered in the last 75 years.
Research and scientific rigor
Junior Amboko, a doctoral student at Florida Atlantic University, led much of the field and laboratory work. The research combined:
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Audio recordings
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High-resolution photography
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Detailed genetic studies
The results of the discovery of the new species of monkey with orange lips, this scientific milestone, were published in the prestigious specialized journal PLoS One. In this regard, Amboko described to News that looking into the face of an animal whose existence was almost an absolute secret was an “incredible feeling”.
